Keeping him safe
by marivon
Summary: Set some time in the future, post 'Tough Love.' Cat & Vincent are in a good place in their relationship: they are both sure of the other's feelings & really savour the limited time they get to spend together. However, they have to be extremely careful now that the entire precinct, the ADA and Muirfield are closing in on Vincent. How far will Cat go to protect the man she loves?
1. Chapter 1

**This is set some time in the future, post 'Tough Love.' Catherine and Vincent are in a good place where their relationship is concerned: they are both sure of the other's feelings and Catherine has gone back to instinctively trusting Vincent again. They really savour the limited time they get to spend together. However, they have to be extremely careful now that the entire precinct, the ADA and Muirfield are closing in on Vincent. How far will Catherine go to protect the man she loves? **

JT couldn't help but smile as he came out of his bedroom and saw Vincent standing at the stove, preparing scrambled eggs for breakfast while whistling a tune to himself. He had never seen his friend so relaxed and happy since he had returned from Afghanistan. Heck, he probably had never seen him this happy in all the years he knew him! When Catherine had entered their lives, JT had worried about what Vincent's feelings for her might do to him, to his sanity, but it didn't take him long to understand that Cat was the best thing that could have possibly happened to his best friend. She was loyal, fierce and loving. She accepted Vincent for who and what he was, and she had repeatedly shown that she was willing to fight for him and at his side. JT had really grown fond of her over time – he had finally come to realize that when Alex came back into Vincent's life and he found himself on Cat's side rather than on Vincent's.

Also, JT's ulcer hadn't played up in the last few weeks, despite Muirfield being closer than ever, as well as the new ADA and precinct set on finding the mysterious vigilante. JT's improved health probably had a lot to do with Sarah, but he also was a lot calmer these days knowing that he was not alone in his endeavour to keep Vincent out of harm's way. Catherine cared about Vincent even more than he did and it was great to know that they were on the same page when it came to the lengths to which they would go to protect Vincent.

"Good morning, sunshine! You got back while I was in the shower, I guess?" JT said, grinning. "Looks like you love birdies had a good night." "You can say that again," said Vincent, turning towards his friend with a broad smile on his face. He put a plate of scrambled eggs in front of JT and then sat down to tuck into his. While chewing, he asked: "Do you want details?"

"No, dude, thanks. But since you mention it, with Cat's nosy younger sister back from her holiday in two days' time and Cat's apartment being out of bounds for your, hmmm, joint activities, I'm seriously considering soundproofing my bedroom…" JT chuckled. Vincent shot him a look. "I'm serious, dude. I mean, I can hear you walk about upstairs and I DO NOT want to hear you in bed with Catherine. You know, we're best friends and all but every friendship has its limits!" Vincent nodded. "That might be a good idea… We're not exactly the quiet types," he said, causing JT to choke on his eggs. Then JT wheezed: "Overshare, dude, overshare!"

"Sorry! Actually, Catherine is going to ask her sister to move out but it'll take a while for her to find another place, I guess. And although this is not the most comfortable place, it would be nice to have Catherine over without you having sleepless nights because of us," Vincent said to JT, unable to get rid of the stupid grin on his face as he remembered details of the previous night. "Dude, I'm going to work. You're seriously freaking me out with your good mood," said JT as he got up from the dining table. "I'll stop at a hardware shop on the way home and get some information about what material best to use to soundproof my room…"

As Vincent was rinsing the plates, his phone rang. He quickly dried his hands and picked it up, smiling as he said: "So, how's your coffee?" "Too hot, as usual. I think I just burned my tongue," Catherine said on the other end, and Vincent could hear that she was smiling, too. "Have you had your breakfast yet?" "Yeah, JT just left for work and I'm doing the dishes," Vincent replied. "How badly did you burn your tongue?" "I'll live," Cat said, and then she sighed. "You're outside the precinct already?" Vincent asked. He had left Cat's flat only about 45 minutes earlier but, ever since they had spent their first night together exactly eight days ago, they had gotten into the habit of speaking on the phone before Catherine started her shift. She didn't think it was a good idea to talk on the phone with any of her colleagues around, now that Tess and Evan were definitely suspicious of her and with the new ADA, Gabriel, snooping around for information about the mysterious vigilante roaming the streets of New York. Ever since the near-death experience with Muirfield in the woods, Cat also used burner phones to communicate with him and it would be difficult to explain to people in the precinct why she had a second phone.

"Yeah, I am standing on the other side of the road. But I'm early for my shift so I'm not hanging up yet. Tell me something…" Catherine said in a dreamy voice. "Oh, JT says he will have to soundproof his room in case you want to come over and spend the night once Heather is back…" Vincent replied while listening to Cat's steady heartbeat and her breathing pattern. "What do you mean, IN CASE I want to come over and spend the night?" Catherine said, faking indignation. Then her voice became teasing: "Don't you know that what you've been doing to me these last few nights has me totally intoxicated. There's no getting rid of me now, Vincent, you've opened Pandora's box. And you'll have to deal with the consequences…" Vincent could hear Cat's heart rate increase slightly and he swallowed hard, as his body responded to her words and her beating heart. "All I know is that it's gonna be a long, long day… waiting around for the sun to go down and for us to be together again," he said in a whisper. "I know," said Catherine. "I better go now. I'll text you later, OK? We have this meeting about the vigilante at 4.30 this afternoon and it could go on for a while so I don't know when exactly I'll be home." "OK, Catherine. Take care, please," said Vincent. "I will. And you take care of yourself, OK? Bye!" Cat whispered and hung up before Vincent got a chance to reply.

Vincent returned to the dishes with a smile on his face. He proceeded to cleaning the kitchen and then moved upstairs to tidy his bedroom. The thought of Catherine actually wanting to spend the night in this dusty, draughty warehouse still filled Vincent with disbelief. He had only slowly allowed himself to feel at ease in her flat, and even after having spent the last eight nights sleeping in her bed the whole thing, their amazing closeness, still seemed unreal. The possibility of Catherine sharing his bed seemed even more unreal. As he went into the bathroom and started scrubbing the tiles there, he made a mental note to remind JT to buy some toiletries that Catherine might want to use. The thought of her filled him with excitement but also with a wonderful sense of calm. For the first time in twelve years, Vincent felt that he might actually be able to accept what fate had thrown at him. He might actually be able to be at peace with himself. Catherine truly was his miracle.

Vincent's phone beeped. He smiled as he read Catherine's message: _Slowest day ever!? Aarrgghh (how do you spell that?)_ _Tell JT to get the best soundproofing possible ; ) xxx _

**Just wanted these two to be really happy before this story gets darker. I'll try and upload chapter 2 tomorrow. Thanks to everyone for their reviews of my other stories. Glad you like them : )**


	2. Chapter 2

When JT got home shortly after 7pm that same day, he expected Vincent to have left for Catherine's so he was surprised when he saw his friend sitting on the sofa, distractedly playing on their X-box. "Hey! How come you're not at Catherine's?" he asked as he walked over to Vincent and dumped his bag full of books and papers to mark on the coffee table. "She's at this meeting, discussing new strategies to catch New York's most wanted vigilante... She said it might go on for a while but I didn't think it would take nearly three hours. She texted me about half an hour ago saying she wouldn't be long… She's gonna text again when she leaves the precinct so that should give me plenty of time to make it over to her place." Vincent said, glad to be able to talk to someone after what had felt like a long, lonely day. "How was your day?" asked Vincent. JT sat down and told his friend about his classes, lunch with Sarah and the strange guy at the hardware store who had lectured him for 40 minutes about the best soundproofing material used in military bunkers and whatnot.

Vincent smiled at the dreamy expression on JT's face when he spoke about Sarah and thought to himself how their lives had changed over the last six months or so. If back at the start of the autumn someone had told him that both he and JT would be madly in love by early spring, he would have called them completely nuts.

The story about the soundproofing expert was pretty funny, and the two friends were chuckling away when Vincent's phone beeped. "Finally," he caught himself saying as he checked the screen. _Leaving in fifteen minutes, I promise. Joe wants to speak to me in private. Please don't leave loft too early. Got email from management company: nosy new neighbour downstairs thinks she saw 'some creep' sitting on fire escape last night. Is the whole world out to get us? See if I care : ) xxx_

About twenty minutes later, Vincent walked upstairs to get his coat and baseball hat. JT was heating up his dinner in the microwave. Vincent was nearly out the door when JT's cell phone beeped. Half way down the stairs, Vincent suddenly stopped: JT's heart rate had dramatically increased. Why? Sarah wouldn't just dump him by text message, would she? He decided to turn back and check on his friend. He went back and as he walked through the door he could see JT with his back turned, holding on to the dining table. His heart was beating so erratically that Vincent started to seriously worry. "Hey, man! Are you OK?" he asked. As JT turned to face him, he saw that he had been mistaken: JT hadn't been propping himself up on the table, he had simply struggled to extract the tranq gun from its case. By the time Vincent put two and two together, JT had already shot him in the thigh and he fell to the floor in a loud thump.

When Vincent woke up again, it took him a few seconds to figure out where he was. Why was he lying on the floor in the warehouse, in his coat and hat? Had he fugued out again? Then he remembered: his best friend had knocked him out with a powerful cocktail of tranquilizers—for no apparent reason. In a flash, Vincent was on his feet but he knew that JT was not in or nowhere near the warehouse. What the hell was going on? He looked around and it didn't take him long to see a torn piece of paper on the dining table. _Call me when you see this_, it said in JT's handwriting. He had clearly been very upset when he'd written the note, as it was nearly illegible.

Agitated and growing more impatient to know why JT had drugged him, Vincent dug into his trouser pocket for his cell phone. As he unlocked the screen to call JT, he froze and nearly dropped the phone as he realized something awful: he must have been out for hours and in all that time, Catherine hadn't called or texted him. The adrenaline started pumping through Vincent's body as he dialed JT's number. "Pick up, pick up!" he growled, as the veins in his neck started to show. The phone rang once, twice, three times. Vincent didn't think he could bear it any longer and felt himself transforming. Then JT finally picked up.

He was out of breath but managed to say in a shaky voice: "Vincent, we're on our way back to the warehouse. Don't freak out." Vincent's legs nearly gave in as relief washed over him and he dragged himself to the nearest chair: JT had said "we." Straining to listen to anything other than the pounding of his own heart, Vincent finally managed to make out Catherine's breathing and heartbeat in the background. "Dude, you there?" JT asked. "There's someone here who'd like to say hello." Vincent nodded, completely oblivious to the fact that his friend could not see him. He sat up in a jolt, waiting to hear her voice. "Hey!" Catherine said, in little less than a whisper. He could hear that she was in pain and close to tears. In a split second, he found himself at the door, fighting the urge to storm out into the night to find her. "Vincent, say something, please!" she said, mumbling slightly. "Catherine, Catherine…" was all he managed to say as he leaned against the doorframe. She was alive. In pain, hardly able to speak, but alive.

Vincent heard how Cat stifled a moan as she handed the phone back to JT. "Vincent? We're getting in the car now. We should be back in about fifteen. You need to get your medical kit ready. I don't think there's any broken bones but there's a couple of gashes that need stitching up. And plenty of bruises." Vincent felt nauseous at the thought of Catherine's broken and aching body and had to swallow hard before being able to ask: "Muirfield?" JT took a few seconds to reply: "Cat thought it might be a Muirfield trap which is why she asked me to knock you out. But I'm not sure it was Muirfield, it was a…" JT's voice trailed off. "It was a different kind of attack. You'll see when we get there, OK? Just be ready to treat Catherine, OK?" Vincent agreed and JT hung up.

Vincent rushed to get the medical supplies he'd need to treat Catherine and nearly smashed the cabinet in frustration when he could not find the painkillers in their usual place. His mind was racing, imagining what could be wrong with Catherine. And then, suddenly, he knew she was not far away. Probably less than two miles away. He could hear her heartbeat and shallow breathing. And he could smell her. He could smell her blood, most of it dried already, some still trickling. Vincent had to struggle hard to keep his adrenaline under control: he had to remind himself that it was not a worrying amount of blood, that she had spoken to him only ten minutes ago. But there was something else he smelled that worried him as he stormed downstairs to be ready to help Catherine out of JT's car. He could feel they were really close now. Cat's smell and this other, sickening smell, became more intense and detailed. It had to be the smell of Catherine's attacker! Vincent growled and instinctively knew that he'd never forget this guy's smell, that he was going to hunt him down and make him pay for what he had done to Cat.

He heard JT's car long before it turned the corner. Even before the car came to a complete stop, Vincent had opened the passenger's door and was about to sweep Catherine into his arms when he realized what had sickened him so much about the attacker's smell on her. Now that she was right there in front of him, Vincent understood the true meaning of JT's words: "It was a different kind of attack…" He could smell the guy's saliva where he had licked her neck and breasts and, even more revoltingly, he could smell his sperm that had dried on the inside of her right leg. Catherine looked at Vincent, eyes filled with tears, and stretched her arms out towards him. Fighting the urge to transform and track the bastard who had done this to her, Vincent gently bent down to Catherine and took her battered body into his arms. As soon as he touched her, she started sobbing. And his eyes filled with tears, too, as he carried her upstairs.

**Chapter 3 will have to deal with a lot of stuff that I left unexplained here… and you won't have to wait for very long for it, I promise : )**


	3. Chapter 3

Vincent set Catherine gently down on the chair next to the dining table on which he had laid out his medical kit. He took a couple of deep breaths, trying to steady himself: Catherine needed medical attention; everything else –his impulse to rip the bastard's heart out, his anger at JT for zapping him when he could have protected her- would have to wait.

"Why didn't you go straight to an ER?" he said, realizing from the dried blood on her body that the attack must have happened several hours before. He hadn't intended his question to sound like an accusation but that is how it had come out. "And have them find not only the guy's, but _your_ DNA all over me, too?" Cat whispered. Vincent swallowed hard. Of course: even in a horrible situation like that, Catherine had been thinking about his safety, not her own wellbeing, his safety. He felt like somebody had punched him in the stomach. _Get a grip, Keller, and help the woman you love! _

After giving Cat a dose of painkillers, he started to carefully peel her out of her torn shirt to get a look at her upper body first. Suddenly Catherine grabbed his hand and whispered: "It must be so painful for you, smelling him on me. But, Vincent, he was never inside me."

Vincent kneeled down in front of her, his relief at that last piece of information clearly written all over his face. Catherine continued in a whisper: "I mean, he was about to rip my underwear off and … you know… when he… came. Which is why he got really mad. Which is why he started beating me… But then this homeless guy came down the alley, yelling at him and he ran… It could have been a lot worse…" Vincent growled as his adrenaline kicked up again. "Yeah. But it doesn't make the rest go away. He still… he still molested you, he still hurt you!" he said vehemently, and Catherine cupped his face in her hand as the veins in his neck showed momentarily. "Also, how can you worry about me, about my hypersensitive senses, at a moment like this?" Vincent was shaking his head in disbelief.

"And you, get out of my sight," Vincent suddenly growled as JT approached the table. Understandably perhaps, JT's ulcer had played up and he had been violently sick as soon as he had stepped out of the car. He had just dragged himself upstairs to see if he could help. "No, Vincent. I need JT to take some DNA samples so we can find this creep and then I'm going to take a long shower to get even the last particle of him off me," said Catherine, shaking in disgust at the memory of the guy licking her skin and rubbing himself against her. "You," she said, taking Vincent's face in her hands, "need to quickly look at me and tell me if there's something you need to fix before I shower." Vincent regained control over his emotions and did as he was told.

He inspected Catherine's body: her torso and arms were severely bruised, and she had several cuts and lacerations, two of which needed stitches, one behind her right ear and one below her left collarbone. The guy had hit her in the face several times and had given her a nosebleed but her nose was not broken. After Vincent had cleaned her wounds and stitched her lacerations, with JT handing him what he needed, he crouched down in front of Cat again. "Are you sure that he didn't…" He could not even bring himself to finish the sentence. "I'm sure," Catherine said, attempting a smile. "I think I might get a huge bruise on my right hip though from where he smashed me against a wall… but otherwise he concentrated on my upper body…"

Vincent felt both rage and nausea at her words and at the perpetrator's stench that was still filling his nostrils. Now that he had taken care of Catherine's injuries, the instinct to go and hunt the pervert down came back with a vengeance. But Vincent also knew that could not let Catherine out of his sight even for a second. At that precise moment he felt like he could never again let her out of his sight again. His emotions nearly overwhelmed him but he needed to be strong, to be there for this amazing woman who, despite being aching and broken, was still worried about his wellbeing.

In the meantime, JT had taken DNA samples from Cat's neck and under her fingernails. Still fighting his adrenaline, Vincent made sure to cover Cat's stitches in several layers of waterproof plasters. Then he took her into his arms and carried her upstairs into his bathroom, asking her if she needed help with taking a shower. She shook her head, undressed as soon as Vincent had left the bathroom and quickly brushed the cotton bud over her right leg before handing it to Vincent, who was waiting outside, shivering with disgust just as she was. Vincent still could not look at JT when he came upstairs to get the cotton bud. Catherine called out to JT and kicked her clothes towards him, asking him to burn them so that Vincent would not have to suffer the stench that came off them any longer. "And perhaps both of you should get rid of your clothes, too, and take a shower, and open the windows…" Catherine said, worried that Vincent would lose it if he had to smell _that_, smell _him_, for much longer. She was exhausted, frightened and in shock after what had happened to her but she could still clearly see what a struggle it had been for Vincent to keep his emotions and his adrenaline under control.

Cat turned on the shower and as soon as the warm water hit her body, she sank down onto her knees and let her tears flow freely. It took Vincent only a few seconds to be at her side. He had been undressing in JT's bathroom downstairs, glad to follow Cat's advice and get rid off that sickening stench in his nostrils when he heard her collapse. He was still wearing his jeans as he rushed to her side. He sat down next to her, gently took her into his arms and slowly rocked her back and forth as her body shook uncontrollably as if it had finally realized in what danger it had been earlier that night.

It took Catherine a good half hour to calm down. Vincent took extreme care when shampooing her hair, staying clear of the stitches behind her right ear and he lathered her in soap several times until the last whiff of the bastard was gone. "I think I'm OK now. We got rid of him, right?" Cat said, looking into Vincent's eyes. "Can you still smell him on me?" "No, not anymore. But I won't ever forget his smell, I will hunt him down and I will…" Vincent's voice trailed off. "Not if I get to him first, you won't…" said Catherine as she got up from the tiled floor, struggling because the painkillers were wearing off and her bruises were really starting to show – and to hurt. Vincent gently wrapped her in a towel and then said: "You don't have any clothes. I could go and get some from your apartment." "Don't you dare leave me," Cat replied, grabbing his arm. "I'll wear some of yours."

"You need some more painkillers… and some sleep," said Vincent as he handed Cat a pair of tracksuit bottoms that were about ten inches too long for her and a hoodie that looked like a dress on her. He quickly dressed, too and wanted to steer her towards the bed when she shook her head and said: "Let's go downstairs. We need to talk."

JT had burned Cat's, Vincent's and his own clothes in a barrel at the back of the warehouse, taken a shower, opened the windows and even found and lit a perfumed candle. He had taken the attacker's DNA samples down to the car, too, so that Vincent would not have to smell them. He would analyze them at work in the morning. Cat gave JT a weak smile as she came down the stairs ahead of Vincent. His best friend still did not look at him and from a pulsating vein in his neck, JT could tell that he was trying very hard to keep calm. Vincent got Catherine a few more painkillers and a glass of water before sitting down on the sofa.

Cat sat down next to Vincent and took his hand. She let out a sigh and said: "Don't be angry at JT. I asked him to give you the tranquilizer." Vincent's head shot up. He now remembered that JT had said that on the phone, too: "Cat thought it might be Muirfield which is why she asked me to knock you out." "What? Why?" "Well, with Muirfield, Gabriel, and the entire NYPD closing in on you, JT and I decided that if push came to shove we had to protect you from yourself…" Vincent looked at Catherine incredulously. "What do you mean, protect me from myself?"

"Well, you know, make sure that you can't expose yourself just because you want to help. Just because you want to help _me_." Catherine had rehearsed this speech in her head several times before but it did not sound very convincing now that she actually said it. Perhaps it was the painkillers and the shock. Perhaps her argument was flawed. Vincent just shook his head in dismay and then stared at her, a hurt look in his eyes.

Catherine decided to go on, she needed him to understand: "Vincent, darling, there is the distinct possibility that tonight was not just a freak accident, that someone used me to try and lure you out in the open. I mean, it looked like the guy was waiting for me. For _me_, Vincent. When he started following me down the street, I knew something was wrong. And I knew that _you_ would be in danger if you'd come out to help me. So I didn't really have a choice, I had to text JT, asking him to zap you. Also, I seriously thought I could handle the guy myself…" Cat's voice trailed off. She tried to catch Vincent's eyes. But he pulled his hand away and jumped to his feet, breathing heavily. "So you can risk your life for me and I can't risk mine for you?" he said, struggling to take in what Catherine had done, thinking only of protecting him.

"It's not the same thing, Vincent. Yes, tonight was horrible but these bruises and wounds will heal, and the guy did not finish what he started. Getting hurt now and then is a risk I'm willing to take. You ending up dead or in a lab for the rest of your life, that's a risk I'm not willing to take. And neither is JT."

Vincent sat back down next to Catherine, unable to speak. Cat took the opportunity to take his hand back into hers. Veins were starting to show on Vincent's neck again.

"Look, JT and I really just wanted to protect you. Keep you out of harm's way. I know you don't see it that way but we kept you safe tonight."

"No, I see that. But at what cost, Catherine, at what cost?" Vincent's voice was overflowing with emotion, disbelief and frustration.

"Vincent, I don't think the guy tonight was your ordinary rapist. There were too many strange details. I mean, why was he following me? How did he seem to know about my martial arts skills, staying at the exactly right distance from me before blowing the air out of my lungs by hitting me exactly in the spot where I was shot? Where did the homeless guy come from? And where did he suddenly disappear to? I really think someone paid him to come after me, corner me in an alley and leave his DNA all over me before beating me up. Just to test me. See what Catherine Chandler does: will she go to the ER, tell her friends and colleagues? If she doesn't, what is she hiding?"

Catherine had talked herself into a frenzy and was ignoring Vincent's accelerating breathing and other signs of distress.

"Someone is suspicious of me, Vincent, but I don't know who. We know Muirfield have eyes and ears everywhere – I think Evan's former girlfriend might be one of them-, Tess thinks I'm hiding something and I'm sure she told Joe from the way he talked to me tonight… and Gabriel, I don't trust him. So there was no way I was letting you walk into a trap tonight. Which –incidentally- is also why it took me nearly three hours to get back here. I had to make sure that I was not being followed. Although all I wanted was to get this guy's stench off me. And to see you. So I hobbled around town for the longest while, calling JT every 30 minutes from public phones to check in. He was freaking out, not knowing what state I was really in and he was feeling bad for having drugged you, too…"

JT had been sitting there during this long exchange, glad that Cat had taken it upon herself to explain what had happened that night and why they had gone behind Vincent's back to devise what they had jokingly called 'protocol CC (Catherine Chandler)'. Not that either of them felt like joking about it now.

JT knew Vincent well enough to see that he was on the brink of breaking down. So he got up, lightly touched Cat's shoulder and said: "I think the big guy gets it now, Cat. How about we discuss this in more detail tomorrow? I think we could all do with some sleep. Personally, I'm actually going to help myself to some painkillers – my head is killing me."

Cat let go of Vincent's hand, causing him to raise his head in surprise. Yet, he couldn't help but smile when he saw that she was hugging JT. "Thank you for getting my back today, JT" she said, suddenly feeling tired and tearful. "You're welcome. You're an amazing woman, Cat," said JT, his voice tainted with emotion, as well.

A short while later, Catherine and Vincent were lying in bed upstairs. Cat realized how sore her body was but tried not to show it. Vincent had been awfully quiet since her outburst downstairs. "You know," she said, trying to lighten the mood, "this is definitely not how I pictured my first night in your bed." Vincent did not smile at this, although he knew that she was trying to make him smile.

"Catherine, when I woke up on the floor, I realized that something awful must have happened to you. I thought you were dead. I was so relieved when I heard your voice – I was still worried because I could hear that you were hurt and upset. But nothing prepared me for what happened next: smelling that guy on you, I thought I'd go insane just thinking of what he had done to you, the pain and fear he put you through. And then to find out that you willingly put yourself in that situation, just to keep me out of harm's way..." Vincent could not hold back his tears any longer and seeing him so vulnerable caused Cat to start crying again, too. "You can't do that for me, Catherine. You can't do that to me… ever again, I beg you!"

"But don't you get it: all I want to do is keep you safe, Vincent! I could never forgive myself if you ended up trapped or dead because of me," said Catherine. "Which is why as of tomorrow we need to find out who that guy was, and who he was working for… But don't worry," Cat added quickly as she saw Vincent's worried expression, "no more going behind your back and no more drugging you. We're in this together: you, JT and me."

Vincent wrapped his arms around Catherine and listened to her even breathing as she fell asleep. She was his living, breathing miracle! The thought of how easily he could have lost her that night still constricted his chest. He couldn't fall asleep for the longest while, struggling with the emotional roller coaster of that night and worrying about the future. He had been so happy that very same morning and now that happiness seemed so remote. Catherine was right, they had a lot to figure out in the morning, and one of the things that he needed to sort out in his head was a way to keep _her_ safe, keep _her_ out of harm's way.

And with that thought, Vincent also fell asleep.

**Our three musketeers need sleep, and so do I. Chapter 4 to follow in the next few days: Who was after Catherine? Will she go back to work all bruised and beaten up? What will Vincent do trying to keep her safe? So many questions - make sure to read on : )**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you everyone for your reviews and follows. I know that Cat being molested is awful and I couldn't bring myself to have her being raped. But I do think that even in a situation like that she would put Vincent's safety first and I also think that it is possible that an organization like Muirfield or a crazed Joe would do awful stuff like that to see whether she is linked to Vincent or not. **

**So… read on for more flashbacks to the horror night and some more interesting developments – this might turn into quite a long story!**

Catherine woke up at her usual time, 7am, the next morning. Feeling Vincent spooning her really close made her smile and she started to turn to get a better look at him. The pain that shot through her body as she did so made her gasp and within a split second she clearly remembered all the horrific events of the previous night. The painkillers that Vincent had given her must have been quite strong: she had not woken once and could not remember any nightmares, either. Thankfully.

Vincent was a light sleeper (one of the side effects of the DNA experiment) and had heard Cat's gasp, although it had not been very loud. Within seconds he was wide awake and hovering over her, looking at her with a worried expression. Catherine looked at him lovingly and whispered "Hey!" while lifting her hand to trace his scar. As she did so, the sleeve of Vincent's hoodie which she had worn as a pyjama slid back and revealed a large purple bruise on her wrist. Vincent's facial expression darkened even more and he slowly pulled Cat into an upright position before taking off the hoodie very carefully to inspect her battered body by daylight. Her bruises had darkened over night and parts of her face were still swollen. Most of the cuts had scabbed nicely and would heal well. Vincent inspected his stitches, remembering how much willpower it had cost him to steady himself enough to be able to stitch those wounds. They looked good. He sighed, relieved. "All good?" said Catherine who had been trying to catch his eye. "Yes," Vincent said, finally meeting her gaze and smiling a tentative smile.

Catherine got up from the bed slowly and with Vincent's help put the hoodie back on. "I have to call work and take some time off. I can't show up all bruised and battered. And I should get away from the warehouse before switching on my phone. In case someone is trying to track me." Vincent nodded and then said quietly: "You have become really good at this… watching your every move, thinking ahead, trying to guess what might come next." "I've learned from the best," Cat replied and, trying to lighten the mood, quickly added, "by which I mean JT, of course." Vincent smiled and then pressed a fleeting kiss on her forehead: "You are truly amazing, Catherine," he said as he helped her up. "And I will feel even more amazing after a big mug of coffee," Cat said as she started gesturing towards the kitchen. Finally Vincent got the hint and rushed off to make coffee.

Catherine stiffly walked to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Unlike her torso, her face was not too badly beaten up but there was no way she could face Joe, Tess, Evan and Gabriel like this. Or Heather, actually. Cat was glad that she had discussed several possible cover stories with JT over the last few weeks in case she would ever have to disappear off the radar of the outside world for a while. Actually, after the altercation with Joe the previous evening, he had given her the perfect excuse to miss work for a week or ten days, until these bruises were gone and her stitches were out.

Cat slowly made her way downstairs and as soon as she smelled the coffee, she realized that she was starving. She had only eaten a tuna salad for lunch the day before and hadn't had anything since. JT and Vincent were already sitting at the table, waiting for her, and Cat couldn't help but ruffle JT's hair as she walked past him. Without really thinking about it, Cat did not sit down on a chair but grabbed the bowl of cereal that Vincent had prepared for her and manoeuvred his right arm out of the way so she could squeeze between him and the table before sitting down in his lap. Catherine could feel Vincent tense up for a moment before sliding his arm around her. He clearly had expected her to react as most women do after they had been sexually attacked: shy away even from the men they loved, often from physical contact with others altogether. But somehow it was different for Catherine: The revulsion she had felt towards her attacker somehow made her appreciate the wonderful bond that she had with Vincent even more. She needed to be physically close to him even now, _especially_ now.

"So, JT," Cat said after she had shovelled some cereal into herself and taken two painkillers. "I think we all know that I need to lay low for a while but that we can't make people even more suspicious. So I was thinking: it might be best if we slightly amend scenario 3 considering that I had an argument with Joe last night. He accused me of not giving a 100% on the 'vigilante case' and said that I had become sloppy and unreliable." Vincent had drawn a sharp breath at the mention of 'scenario 3' but he let Catherine finish before growling: "Are you guys serious? Scenario 3? How many scenarios did you two think up behind my back? And in how many of those are you two getting killed while I lie around unconscious thanks to a not so helpful dose of tranquilizer?"

Cat and JT couldn't help but chuckle at Vincent's comments. Cat explained, while JT went to his room to get the necessary props for scenario 3. "Vincent, honey: scenario 3 just implies me suffering from 'burnout syndrome', complete with fake medical certificate thanks to Dr. Forbes here, and me needing headspace and therefore disappearing off to a 'burnout clinic' outside of Albany for about ten days." Vincent stared at Catherine in disbelief.

JT had come back with a small bag, took out a brochure of an actual burnout clinic and waved it under Vincent's nose. Catherine continued: "Colleagues or friends are not allowed to disturb the patients, but the patients can call once or twice during the stay if they wish so… which should keep Heather off my back. I'll leave a brochure in the apartment for her to find, along with a letter in which I partly blame her for causing my burnout: you know, the intervention, the wedding pictures, the way she treated you, her general irresponsible behaviour, her inability to grow up and live her own life, etc." JT had produced the letter and was grinning at Cat's summary: "Yeah, looking back I guess we had too much wine when we wrote that, didn't we?" Cat smiled back at him: "Well, that's what you get for filling me up with Cabernet in the middle of the afternoon in your shabby college office, mister! But I'm not rewriting the bloody thing."

"OK, OK!" JT backed off immediately. "How about you come for a drive with me now to call your boss? And tonight, when it's dark, my friend," JT turned to Vincent, "you need to do your night vision and super hearing thing to check that Cat's flat is not being watched so we can leave the brochure, the letter and Cat's phone there for Heather to find. So how does scenario 3 sound?" Vincent couldn't help but smile at the smirk on JT's face. Catherine took Vincent's face in her hands and whispered in his ear: "You know what my favourite thing about scenario 3 is? That I get to hang out with you in a dusty warehouse for days on end and you will finally have to teach me how to play those video games!" Vincent couldn't help but chuckle.

"OK, I'll teach you," he said, getting serious again. "Under one condition: you guys tell me every single detail of every other scenario you've come up with. No more going behind the back of any one of us. I mean, I made the mistake of trying to go solo when I turned myself in to Muirfield –which was a bad idea- and you guys zapping me last night was an even worse idea. OK?" Vincent's voice was hoarse with emotion.

Catherine and JT looked at one another. Vincent was right: they all needed to be on the same page. Catherine hugged Vincent for a long time, whispering words of reassurance and comfort to him before getting up to leave to set 'scenario 3' in motion. There was still so much they didn't know: who the attacker had been, who he had worked for, what this meant for Cat's career and how long it was safe for Vincent to stay in the warehouse.

But they needed time to regroup and recharge, and 'scenario 3' would give them that: time for Catherine's body to heal; time for Vincent and Catherine to talk about their fears of losing the other one and the lengths to which they should go to protect one another; time for the three of them to discuss possible scenarios, escape routes and survival plans _together_.

**I felt a slightly upbeat chapter was needed after the angst and hurt in the last two. Hope you agree with me. More to come soon : ) **


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for all the comments and reviews. I'm really enjoying writing this so you can expect more chapters. I am big on dialogues and feel that sometimes Vincent and Catherine don't get to talk as much as they should on the show. But then, if you can have close-ups of Jay doing his 200 different facial expressions, you don't need to write big speeches for him, right? I really like the fact that Ron Perlman's Vincent was so well-spoken and erudite so I am planning on giving Vincent more speeches and also dialogues with Cat.**

**This continues straight on from where we left off at the end of chapter 4. Cat has left the warehouse with JT to call Joe. I hope you won't find it too long winded but I felt we needed a long flashback to what really happened to Cat and a chance to hear her voicing her fears. Vincent will get a big speech of his own soon, I promise : )**

Vincent paced about nervously. Catherine and JT had been gone for nearly an hour. How long did it take to call her boss? Still, he didn't want to call JT in case his phone was not on silent and Joe would grow suspicious of any background noises. Vincent also realized that he had completely forgotten to ask about Cat's car. He was pretty confident that they had made sure last night not to leave it at the precinct as that would look suspicious but he couldn't stop worrying, about the car and even more so about her.

Finally Vincent could hear Catherine's heartbeat and breathing as she entered his auditory range. Her heart rate was steady so everything must have worked according to plan.

A few minutes later, Catherine came upstairs carrying a small brown bag followed by JT who could hardly see where he was going as he was carrying three big bags filled with food. "Thanks for the help, dude," he muttered as he struggled to make it to the table without dropping anything. Vincent, of course, completely ignored him: he had rushed to take the small bag off Catherine's hands as soon as he had seen her.

"Sorry we're late. Cat instructed me to get some, I quote, proper food, while she sat in the car in the parking lot screaming at her boss," JT grinned at his friend. "And she made me go back to get more stuff twice!"

"How did you ever get your PhD if you can't remember a simple shopping list?" Cat teased JT as she pulled up Vincent's tracksuit bottoms that kept tripping her up.

"What did Joe say?" Vincent asked, gesturing Catherine to sit down on the sofa while he started helping JT unpack the food.

"He acted surprised at first, but then said that it made sense: I haven't really had a proper holiday in over two years, and according to him I have been sloppy and distracted. He made it clear last night that he needed people to function properly on this case… and that he didn't think my heart was in it, which is the case, really. I don't want the vigilante to get caught, do I? Eventually, however, Joe wished me a speedy recovery. Oh, and I'll have to have another psy evaluation when I come back!" added Cat, sighing.

"That's good," said Vincent. "Well, not the last part but you'll be fine."

Cat gave him a faint smile. She was not looking forward to seeing Brendan again. She had been such a wreck the last time she had been forced to see him that she has given far too much away about Vincent already. Brendan was going to ask about her complicated guy again, that was for sure. But then, if it hadn't been for him pushing her to admit her feelings to Vincent, things might have gone altogether differently.

"Eight different types of fresh vegetables?" Vincent asked JT. "Are you coming down with something, or what?"

"All part of scenario 3, man! Turns out you're dating a rabbit that lives off carrots and lettuce and… what is _this_ called again?" JT turned towards Catherine.

"It's called an eggplant, ignoramus, and if you make fun of it again you won't get to taste my eggplant gratin tonight!" Cat said, with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Well, you know, in the real world where Vince and I grew up kids didn't get fed fancy things such as eggplants and gratins," said JT overdramatically. Vincent smiled at the bantering between Cat and JT and then said: "I can see it's gonna be a long ten days with the two of you bickering all the time…" Then he remembered something: "Oh, I meant to ask about your car." He was about to turn to Catherine.

"Don't worry, we got it from the precinct before coming here last night… and we fortunately also remembered to go and look for her gun," JT answered. Seeing his friend's quizzical look, he continued: "He knocked it out of her hand right at the start…" JT stopped when he saw Vincent rushing to Catherine's side.

All lightness had disappeared from Cat's face. Vincent's question had catapulted her back to the events of the previous evening.

_She was having yet another unpleasant argument with Joe, and was growing impatient because all she wanted was to go back home to Vincent. Then finally Joe let her go and she had been lost in happy thoughts about Vincent while walking down the lane towards the overflow car park where she had been forced to park in the morning, and thus she became aware of the guy following her far too late. _

_All she could think was 'Muirfield!' and so she decided to text JT - just two letters 'CC' - and turn to face the creep rather than just run from him. But before she knew it, he had kicked her gun out of her hand and his fist had hit her exactly in the spot where she had been shot. While she had been struggling to breathe, he had dragged her further down the alley and pinned her up against a wall next to a dumpster, immobilizing her arms and pushing his heavy frame on her._

_He started ripping her clothes and grinding himself up against her, licking her… During the first few minutes of his attack, all she could think was: "Please let Vincent be safe! Please let him not be aware of this and rush in and get caught" and–strangely, contrary to all self-preserving instincts—she had been relieved when time had passed and Vincent had not shown up to save her._

"Catherine, it's OK. You're safe. You're with me." Vincent tried to calm her down, and she could hear his voice but somehow that did not take away from the horror of her memories.

"JT, she's hyperventilating. I need a paper bag," Vincent said, irrationally afraid to leave Catherine's side even for a few seconds. JT handed him a paper bag straight away and Vincent held the bag tightly around Catherine's nose and mouth. She was still not looking at him, staring at a spot somewhere on his chest and clearly not seeing him but images from the previous night. It was heartbreaking to see her struggle like this, but Vincent knew from his medical training that these panic attacks were going to come and go for a while. All he could do was show Catherine his love and support, give her space when she needed it and be there for her when she needed to lean on him. Vincent wished with all his heart that he could reach her in the horrible place that her memories had taken her to.

_But then the guy had started beating her up out of frustration because he had not lasted long enough to properly rape her. Suddenly, as he was beating her, her fear kicked in and she was praying for Vincent to come and rescue her. At the same time she knew that JT must have succeeded in knocking him out and that now nobody was going to save her. This guy was going to kick the life out of her… _

_As her attacker smashed her against the wall sideways, she had heard footsteps and shouting. And then her attacker was gone, and suddenly she was lying on the ground, panting and then gagging. She tried to see who had saved her from certain death. Her vision was blurred and all she could make out was someone in ragged clothes and shoes filled with holes. He also smelled really bad: a homeless guy? But before Cat managed to get back on her feet and pull up her jeans, the homeless guy had disappeared into the darkness, just like her attacker._

As Catherine's breathing calmed down, Vincent took the bag away from her face and patiently waited. Finally, Cat looked at him, tears in her eyes and then she grabbed his hand while lying down on the sofa to rest. "Where did that come from?" she whispered, shocked at the intensity of the flashbacks.

"It's normal, Catherine, darling," Vincent whispered back. "I know it doesn't feel that way but it's a healthy reaction: you're trying to cope with what happened."

Catherine nodded and pulled Vincent's right hand in a tighter grip. He sat down on the floor next to the sofa and started stroking Cat's hair with his left hand. JT quickly moved away to give them some privacy.

"It's not just what happened to me in that alley, Vincent. I mean that was horrible. But I'm also really scared that I may have made a wrong decision afterwards. I mean, I was roaming around. And I was trying to stick to the shadows but there are so many cameras in the city. I must be on some of them. When I went back to get the car, for example. I was not thinking clearly. All I wanted was to see you, to feel sane and safe again. What if I led them to you? What if they already know where we are?"

"I've been keeping an ear on everything within a two mile radius, and so far we are safe here. Also, I don't know how you managed to have even one coherent thought, Catherine…" Vincent replied, trying to comfort her. "Do you want to tell me about last night? It might help to talk things through …"

Catherine agreed but instinctively decided to leave out the actual attack, not sure that Vincent would be able to handle the details. She started haltingly:

_"_I told you about the homeless guy sort of scaring the attacker off. Which makes no sense. Where did he come from? Why would the other guy run when he was about twice the size of the homeless guy? But anyway. After they both had left, I just stood there for a while. I was so dizzy from my heart beating so fast and from the relief that I was alive, and that you were safe. I knew I needed to call JT – immediately. But my burner phone had been smashed. My other phone only had a crack in the screen but it was definitely not safe to call JT from it in case they are already tracking it.

I remembered that there is a public phone around the corner from the deli where I used to have lunch with Tess sometimes, you know, before, when we still were partners and good friends.

I cleaned the worst of the blood off my face with my scarf and, sticking to the shadows as much as possible, I slowly made my way there. My upper body hurt a lot, but my legs were working OK, all things considered. I don't think I've ever been more thankful for the anonymity of New York's streets where nobody really looks at you at night if you keep your head down."

Vincent's expression darkened as Catherine started to speak more quickly.

"JT answered half way through the first ring. Worried sick. I cut him off because I suddenly realized that maybe someone might have followed me and actually be close enough to hear what I was saying. All I could come up with was a lame "I'm sorry, I'll be late for dinner. Something came up. I just wanted to see if everyone was fine back home…" JT understood and played along straight away. I was so relieved when he assured me that you were fine.

I told him I needed time to take care of things and that I was going to call back every half hour until I knew when it was OK to go home. Not the smartest speaking in code but I was making things up as I went along. Then I started aimlessly wandering around, my mind working like crazy: was I being followed? If it was Muirfield, they knew that I was in no shape to put up a fight or run away –would they not have grabbed me already? It just didn't make sense.

So there I was, walking in the shadows, trying to see if someone was actually following me and at the same time trying to figure out whether someone was trying to lure you into a trap by planning that attack. Or maybe I was just paranoid and had simply fallen victim to a random attack? I don't know, but my guts told me, still tell me, that it was a trap.

Perhaps Muirfield didn's set the trap, either. Perhaps it was someone who suspected that I have ties to the vigilante… and we both know the list of people suspicious of my behaviour is growing. So perhaps someone tried to test their theory by sending someone after me. Perhaps they instructed the attacker not to go through with the whole thing. And then, when the guy lost control and started beating me up, they sent in someone disguised as a homeless guy to stop him."

Vincent had listened intently to every single word Catherine said. Now he was shaking his head and Cat couldn't help but ask why he was doing so. "Because you managed to think of me, to think so clearly, when I would have been losing it. And I don't just mean now. Even before the experiment, I don't think that I would have been able to handle stress the way you do…"

"You mean, by breathing into a paper bag?" Catherine said, the hint of a smile on her face. Vincent kissed her hand and encouraged her to go on.

"Anyway, I knew that I needed to make up my mind soon: JT had shot you with the tranquilizer at about 7.30 and you would be waking up soon. I didn't want you to panic. So I pondered the idea of sending JT back to the warehouse by himself but I also knew that I was at the end of my tether.

It was not really like Muirfield to work that sloppily, so perhaps somebody else was behind this. But would Joe do something like this? I know he wants to find who he thinks killed Darius but he sounded genuinely surprised this morning when I called with my burnout story. I don't think that he is that good an actor to be faking that. But I don't know anymore.

Perhaps it's Gabriel – but would the ADA or the police for that matter really use such drastic measures? Not officially, anyway. I couldn't get my head around it and I still can't. But whoever it was, I had to assume that this 'project' of theirs was not a full-blown investigation. They would have limited resources otherwise they would not have left me there to roam the streets freely.

It was a gamble, but I had to do something. So I decided I would not go back to my flat, not without you checking the surroundings first. I had to get my car, though, as it would raise suspicion if I left it there.

I wasn't sure it was the right thing to do but I didn't have much strength left in me and so the third time I called JT I told him where I was and begged him to come and get me. We made sure I got in his car where one of the street lamps was broken and I also got into the back, lying down just to be on the safe side. He took me to the overflow car park via several detours and it did not look like we were being followed. Once we were reasonably sure of that, we also went back to the alley to get my gun – I couldn't risk someone finding it, right? It was horrible to go back there, but JT was really great all along. I don't think I could have stomached going back there by myself...

And then, somehow, I got into my car. But by then, all that was keeping me going was the thought of you being safe and me being able to see you again. I was on a sort of autopilot and don't think I took particular care to check for surveillance cameras at the car park. What if I show up on a tape, all bloody and beaten up? And I can't go in to check now that I am officially in Albany, can I?

I don't even remember driving home. I parked the car about a block from the apartment building. As I turned off the engine, all strength left me. I was unable to get out of the car. JT had to come over to me and talk to me like to a sick puppy. He was truly amazing but I was not moving … and he was afraid to touch me because of what the guy had done to me … And then you called. It's only when I heard your voice that I was able to move again…"

Catherine had talked herself into a frenzy and Vincent was worried she might start to hyperventilate again. Cat could see the worry in his eyes and forced herself to steady her breathing and heartbeat. She sat up and pulled Vincent up to sit next to her on the sofa.

"I really think I screwed up last night, Vincent. I think it was a test. A normal person would have called the cops or an ambulance; a normal person would be in hospital, being taken care of. So if someone decided not to behave like a normal person, they must be hiding something, right? Maybe I had just confirmed somebody's suspicions by not reporting the attack. Maybe I just signed your death certificate."


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you everyone for your favs, reviews and follows. Much appreciated : )**

**Now on to some more pouring out of hearts and stuff related to my favourite budding TV-relationship. In case you are getting tired of dialogues (I probably never will), the next chapter will see a bit more action and will feature more of JT, too.**

**Also (shameless self-promo here!) if you found Vincent confessing to Catherine about Darius with tears in his eyes as heartbreaking as me, go check out my one-shot entitled 'Taking care of the ones you love.'**

Vincent shook his head in disbelief as Catherine's words rang in his ears: _"Maybe I just confirmed somebody's suspicions by not reporting the attack. Maybe I just signed your death certificate." _After everything she had done for him ever since she had found out about him, after everything that had happened the previous night, was Catherine really beating herself up about not having protected him enough?

"Catherine, stop please," he begged her when he saw that she was about to continue with her self-berating. Vincent brought his hands up to her face and gently cupped it, desperately needing to be close to her but also hoping that he would not hurt her by touching her bruised cheeks. "I can't…"

Somewhere in the background, JT cleared his throat. "Sorry, guys, I need to go to work. I teach class at 12 and I have a few DNA samples to analyze. We can hack into the police computer to find out who the guy was later on tonight, after we go back to your apartment, or tomorrow, depending on how you feel, Catherine."

Catherine smiled at Vincent and then got up from the sofa to walk over to JT. "Thank you again for everything," she whispered.

JT smiled at her and said: "Anytime, Catherine. Looking forward to that eggplant thingy tonight." Vincent shot him a look. "If you feel like cooking, that is," JT added quickly.

"You really think a panic attack here and there is going to get you out of having to eat proper food in the next week or so? You will eat that gratin, if not tonight then soon… don't you worry, mister!" replied Catherine. Obviously, she would have preferred last night's events never to have happened. But since they had, she really appreciated the fact to be able to recover from her ordeal with Vincent and JT around. They were the only two people left in her life who really knew what was going on with her. A few weeks earlier, that thought would have made Catherine sad but now she was just grateful.

As soon as JT had left, Vincent asked Catherine whether she wanted something to eat or drink, or more painkillers. She said that she was fine, a bit tired but fine. She made her way back to the sofa and pulled Vincent down next to her. "You were about to say something when JT interrupted you. Go on!" she encouraged him.

"No, it can wait. You're tired; you said so. Perhaps you should take a nap," Vincent replied, still worried about what Catherine had told him (what else were they going to put her through just to get to him?), saddened by her feelings of guilt, but also relieved that her breathing and heart rate were back to normal.

"Vincent, I'm OK. I'll have plenty of time for naps later. Just get it off your chest, I can see that there's something bothering you," Catherine said, turning to be able to look him in the face and catch every single one of his expressions. Vincent listened again to the signs Cat's body sent him and she did seem to be OK for the moment. He couldn't help himself: he put his face between his hands, exhaled and, not looking at her, started to speak.

"Catherine, if anyone is putting anyone in danger it's _me_ putting _you_ in danger. How can you feel guilty about how you reacted last night? You did not sign my death certificate, do you hear me? You put yourself at risk for me, you stayed out there, ready to be snatched up by Muirfield or somebody else, just to keep me safe." Vincent shuddered as he pictured Cat dragging herself through the night. Catherine could read in his face how much it pained him to think of her ordeal the previous night.

"If anything, I might well have signed _your_ death certificate by not leaving when things got really messy," Vincent continued, and his body involuntarily tensed up as he said the words: your death.

He heard Catherine inhale sharply but had to go on.

"I can't help but think that I should have walked away the night I killed Darius. I should have left New York. Given you and JT a chance to take back your lives. If I had left, the hunt would have led them nowhere, you would not have had to cover for me like you had to these last few weeks, raising even more suspicions. Then they –whoever it was— never would have set that trap for you last night. Because, from what you tell me, it does sound like a trap. If I had not been so weak, if I'd walked away then, you'd be safe now, you'd be… whole."

Catherine had started vehemently shaking her head as soon as Vincent mentioned leaving New York by himself. She could hear from the tone of this voice that he blamed himself for her being broken. That he would struggle with this for a very, very long time. That he may never forgive himself for having put her in that kind of danger simply by having allowed himself to get closer and closer to her ever since she had found out about him.

"Vincent," Catherine said with such urgency in her voice that it made him look up. "Vincent, how can you say that? I cannot be whole without _you_ in my life. I don't feel safer than when I'm with _you_! I told you last night: these bruises will heal, I will recover – I'm not sure I could ever recover if I lost you! JT and I are not only worried about Muirfield, the trigger-happy cops that Joe hired or this shady ADA trying to get to you, we're both afraid that one of these days you will decide to do what you think is 'the right thing' and disappear over night without leaving a trace and that we won't be able to find you again!"

Catherine's eyes were brimming with tears as she confessed her deepest fear: that Vincent would walk away from her out of a false sense of doing what he thought was best for her.

"But, Catherine, how can I live with myself knowing that they sent a rapist after you to get to me? That they might send someone worse next time? I know I'd go out of my mind if I ever lost you. I don't want you to get hurt ever again, not any more than you already have been because of _me_!" Vincent's eyes were starting to shine, too. He grabbed Catherine's hands and held on to them like a drowning man struggling to stay afloat.

"Vincent, I got hurt because I was careless. I should have watched my back, not only yesterday but before, too. I get that now. Both JT and you tried to explain but I was just too selfish, too caught-up in my way of seeing and doing things to realize it…"

Vincent tried to stop Catherine but she said, shaking with emotion: "Please let me finish! I slipped up so many times these last few months and put you at risk over and over. I mean, in the tunnels, when I didn't tranq you! I know you still struggle with it, and if I had done the right thing by you, Evan would never have heard you and would not have become completely obsessed with you!"

Vincent shook his head but Catherine ignored him.

"And then, I stupidly asked you to come to my dad's wedding, putting you at risk again when they took that picture of us. And I was so hurt and lost when Alex showed up in your life again that I kept talking about it with Tess, Heather and even that shrink, Brendan. No wonder they are all curious to find out who you are and keep wondering whether this mystery guy may have a shady secret.

What was I thinking – blabbing about PTSD and anger management issues, you going back to your ex, life-and-death situations I helped you out of? No wonder they are suspicious of me. No wonder they don't trust me. How much easier would it be to protect you if I was in their circle of trust? But no, I kept ignoring JT's advice and your pleas to be more careful all along and I am so sorry..."

Vincent was about to tell her to stop but Catherine just pushed her right hand over his mouth, begging him with her eyes to let her finish.

"And then, to top it all off, the whole debacle with Heather a few weeks ago! If I had never given into her request, or just lied through my teeth about Vincent Zalansky being an ass as you said we should, Heather and I would not have had an argument at Joe's party which means she would not have been with Darius when those two criminals showed up. Which means that you would not have Joe and the ADA on your trail right now. And yet another death weighing on your conscience. You paid such a high price because of me, over and over again. You took lives not only to save me but because of my stupidity. You risked exposure because of me. You are a lot less safe now than you were six months ago _because of me_."

As Cat let her hand slide down from his mouth in a gesture of defeat, Vincent's emotions overwhelmed him. He pulled Catherine in his arms and held her tight, silently crying into her hair while waiting for her to calm down a bit. Then he whispered:

"Catherine, darling, no! No, no, no! I am a lot more alive than I was six months ago because of you. You have brought so much joy and hope into my life. And something which for the longest while I didn't let myself hope for, your love. Granted, it's been a learning curve for both of us, but I have made many mistakes along the way, too. We both know that."

Catherine had completely settled in Vincent's embrace and his words were having an effect on her – he could literally feel how she released some of the tension in her body.

"Catherine, I just wish for you to have a normal life, but I don't think I'm strong enough to let you go, not after what we have shared these last few weeks. I think I had the smallest window of time to do that, let you go, before we kissed on the roof that night. Now, the most selfish part of me wants you in my life, utterly and completely. Yet there is another part of me that says that I have to walk away if I truly love you.

Know this: you and JT don't need to worry about me disappearing without a trace. The way I feel about you now, especially after yesterday when for a few minutes I thought you were lost to me - I would rather stay here and risk exposure than run away not knowing that you're OK or if I will ever see you again…"

Vincent could feel Catherine's tears staining his T-shirt. He pulled her even closer, forgetting for a moment what state her upper body was in. Cat tensed up and whispered with a strain in her voice: "Bruises! Ouch…"

Vincent let her go immediately and started apologizing profusely. Catherine shushed him by pressing her index finger on his lips and smiling through her tears.

"It's nothing, Vincent. I'm fine, really." She stroked a strand of hair from his face and, sitting up and slightly pulling him down towards her, she leaned her forehead against his. "So you want me in your life utterly and completely? Good, because I feel the same way about you."

Catherine and Vincent sat in that position in silence for several minutes, listening to each other's breathing and each a little more sure of the other's dedication and love.

Vincent sensed that, after last night's horrors, all the excitement of the morning -the phone call to Joe, the panic attack, their long talk- had exhausted Catherine. He got up to get her some water and painkillers. She drank some water but declined the painkillers. Vincent then swept Catherine up into his arms and carried her upstairs into bed. She did not protest.

"JT will be relieved to hear that we don't have to worry about you leaving all by yourself soon," said Catherine in a mumble as Vincent lay down next to her. "Although I have to say that a part of me really liked scenario 6…" Cat's voice drifted off as she fell asleep.

Scenario 6? Vincent frowned but decided not to worry about that now. He'd have plenty of time to ask about that scenario and the others JT and Catherine had devised. Taking in Cat's smell as he readjusted the covers, Vincent thought to himself how lucky he was: his life, this life he so often had decried as cruel and not worth living, this life that had taken so much away from him, it had also given him the most loyal friend and a courageous, loving woman to share his fate with. They were both willing to risk so much to protect him. He would not let them down by simply disappearing into the night. He owed them that much.


	7. Chapter 7

**As always, thanks for the reviews, follows and favs. You can tell from what I say about Heather below that I am pretty annoyed with her character at the moment. I know she's there to be yet another obstacle for VinCat but that woman needs to grow up... SERIOUSLY! **

**Rant over, hope you like the way this is going.**

Catherine woke up several hours later to a delicious smell coming from downstairs. She still felt sore but her head was a lot clearer than it had been in the morning. Venting definitely had done her good, and Vincent had also needed to talk about his feelings. Cat turned in the bed and let out a contented sigh as she hugged Vincent's pillow tight. She liked the feeling of waking up in his bed, surrounded by his smell.

"Are you OK?" she heard Vincent say a few seconds later. He had heard her sigh and had quickly come upstairs to check on her.

"Yes, I'm good, Vincent. What time is it?" Cat replied, still a bit groggy from her sleep, yet in a good way.

"It's nearly 2pm," Vincent answered, bending over her to get a better look at her. "I'm making you lunch. It should be ready in about ten, fifteen minutes."

"Good, I'm starving. I think I'll take a quick shower before lunch." Cat smiled at Vincent as she sat up and stretched. She got out of bed and briefly leaned her head against his chest. "See you downstairs in about ten?" she asked and went to his wardrobe to pick up some fresh yet ridiculously large clothes to wear after her shower.

()

When JT came home from work shortly after 5pm, he found Catherine and Vincent snuggled up on the sofa. A laptop was in front of them on the coffee table, as were several stacks of books and papers.

"Hey! What's going on? And how is everyone?" JT added quickly as he realized that his first question might be considered rude. Vincent looked at him and gave him the thumbs up. It looked as if after Cat's panic attack the day had gone smoothly.

"Hey, JT," Catherine said, putting down a piece of paper she had been staring at. "I'm fine, thanks. In case you're wondering what all this is, I asked Vincent to explain in more detail how his DNA is different from mine or yours. I think we're about 2% into the explanation and my head is already spinning…"

Vincent smiled at Cat. "No, you're doing really great, actually. It's a lot of technical vocabulary to get on board. But perhaps we should stop for tonight and talk about…" his voice became more tentative, "… about other stuff now that JT is back."

Catherine nodded her head. JT sat down and said: "First things first: I have the guy's DNA profile here so I now need to hack into the DNA database of previously convicted criminals to see if Cat's attacker is known to the authorities."

"I doubt it," said Catherine. "Whoever sent him after me would not make such a rookie mistake, would they?"

"Let's see! We need to do this in any case." JT said. "It's the easiest way to track him."

"I will track him no matter what," said Vincent in a low growl. "I won't forget his smell for as long as I live, believe me! If I have to sniff out all of New York, or go further afield, I will hunt him until I find him and…"

"I know, Vincent," said Catherine, hugging him tight. "But it's dangerous. And I need you here with me right now, not out there hunting down some phantom. Let's wait for the DNA profiling, OK?"

Vincent agreed. Yet it soon became clear that Cat had been right: her attacker's DNA was not on the database. They would have to find him some other way. And they would, but not tonight. The three of them sat there in silence for a little while before JT spoke up again.

"OK then. It's getting pretty dark out there. How about going to Cat's apartment to leave those things for Heather and get some clothes and stuff so that you don't have to walk around looking like this," JT frantically waved his hand in the general direction of Catherine, "for the rest of your stay here?" Cat pulled her tongue at JT and Vincent couldn't help but smile.

JT turned to Vincent: "We'll drive there in my car, and let you out several blocks away. Cat and I will wait for you to check that it is safe for us to go there. If you see or hear anything suspicious we call it off and just have to get the letter and brochure to Heather some other way."

()

On the way to her apartment, Catherine reread the letter she and JT had written as preparation for 'scenario 3.' It would be tough for Heather to hear some of the things in it, especially the parts that accused her of being a demanding, immature person who always put her own needs before those of her older sister. Cat sighed but knew that there was no way out of this now: Joe had bought her story (or at least pretended to buy it really well) and with her dad and Brooke away on a cruise, Heather was the only other person she needed to convince that she really had burnout and needed a timeout.

Things with Tess had deteriorated so much that Cat didn't think she would care much one way or another. Also, the burnout story was quite good because Cat could use it again should she ever need or want to take a few days off work in the future. And when you suffered from burnout, you were not always just to the people around you – a fact that would make the harsh tone of the letter more credible.

Catherine loved her sister very much, yet there were several reasons why she was planning on asking her to move out once she was back from 'Albany': it was not only that she wanted to have the apartment to herself so that Vincent, so that they, could move around in it freely. She also wanted to keep Heather safe in case Muirfield found out about herself. And –to be brutally honest- there was something else, something that really annoyed Cat about her sister, no matter how much she loved her.

While Cat understood that Darius's death had come as a shock to Heather, she also knew that her sister had known the man for less than a week and felt that her public display of grief and loss were overdramatic. Catherine could not help but feel sorry for her sister but then she also knew that if she had to hear Heather whisper 'It feels like my mother all over again' once more to somebody, she would probably lose it! How could she compare losing someone she'd known for three and a half days at the most with the traumatic experience that had been their mother's death?

Catherine had been so relieved when, about two weeks after Darius's death, Heather's best friend from high school, Nicole, had suggested that she should come to her family's holiday home in Cancun. Cat felt guilty about her relief, too: these were not good sisterly feelings, were they? But she could not help but think that her sister needed to grow up, and that having to get on in life without the constant help of her older sister would actually help her in that process.

Vincent was sitting in the back, studying Catherine's expression as she reread the letter. He couldn't help but smile at the determined look on her face. She felt his gaze and turned slightly to catch his eye and grab his hand with her left.

"I think this is close enough, what do you think, guys?" said JT as he stopped the car about four blocks away from Catherine's apartment.

"Yes," said Vincent. "Give me a good ten minutes, I'll scan the surroundings for anything suspicious and give you a call if all is clear, OK?" As Vincent was about to let go of Cat's hand, she squeezed it really tight and whispered: "Just be careful, please?" Vincent nodded and quickly made his way out of the car.

"So how is Sarah?" said Catherine to JT as soon as Vincent had disappeared. She needed to keep her mind occupied until they'd hear from him again. "Good, thanks," said JT. "I think you two would really get along, you know, in a parallel universe where I could actually tell her about my roommate and where we could go out on double dates…"

Catherine chuckled as she pictured them double dating. Then she got serious again. "You're such a good friend, JT, and not only to Vincent. To me, too. And we both know how many mistakes I've made along the way…"

"Yeah, you should have stuck your tongue down Vincent's throat and kissed some sense into him much earlier, if you ask me," said JT, as usual feeling uncomfortable with compliments.

"If I'd known what I was missing out on, I would have," said Cat dreamily and then blushed as she realized that she was talking to JT. JT chuckled at her embarrassment and then said: "I guess I will have to get that soundproofing after all."

"Might be a good idea," said Catherine and blushed even more. She stared out onto the street and was silently counting the seconds ticking by.

"Hey," JT ventured after a while, nervously fiddling with his keys. "I didn't think I'd ever say this but I'm glad you came into our lives, I mean into Vincent's life mainly but also into my life. You really do him a lot of good – he was about ready to give up on life, I think. And, although I will deny this in any court of law, I'm really glad to no longer be the only one to know about him and the only one trying to keep him safe…" JT's voice trailed off. He really was not good at this touchy-feely stuff.

Catherine put both her hands on JT's right arm and said: "I can only imagine how difficult that must have been for you. So thank you again, for keeping him sane and safe for so long. And for putting up with me at the start when I was such a fool…"

JT and Catherine looked at each other, exchanging a warm smile of mutual understanding. Then JT's cell rang and as soon as he had put it on speakerphone, they could hear Vincent's impatient voice: "Dude, would you please stop chatting up my woman behind my back? I'm trying to listen out for possible threats here but the two of you are distracting me from my task!"

Cat couldn't help but giggle at the possessive tone in Vincent's voice when he called her 'his woman.' He immediately realized that JT had put him on speakerphone. "Brilliant," he said, suddenly embarrassed at his outbreak. JT rolled his eyes at Catherine and then said: "Man, if you heard all of that you will know that we weren't flirting. But, I promise, we'll be quiet now…" "Good," said Vincent and hung up.

Fifteen minutes later, Catherine and JT were standing outside her apartment. Vincent had listened and watched out for anything suspicious, people in parked cars that might be watching and he had also scanned all the windows in the area from which one had a view of Cat's apartment for surveillance equipment. He hadn't found anything suspicious and given the OK to Cat and JT. Now he was pacing on the rooftop of the building across the road, as this was the best position for him to survey the comings and goings in the area. He was anxious for Catherine to get in, get out and be safe in his arms again.

JT and Cat had decided that they would not speak to one another inside the apartment in case someone had bugged it in the meantime. Catherine had made it a habit by now to sweep her apartment for bugs every evening after work and had not found anything so far. But as she hadn't been in her apartment for 36 hours and did not want to keep Vincent anxiously waiting for too long, she decided that the best would be to walk in in silence, quickly pack a bag, leave behind the brochure, her phone and the letter for Heather and disappear as fast as possible.

Vincent had just texted to say that there definitely was nobody in the apartment and that he still couldn't hear anything suspicious in the surroundings. Cat turned the key and, drawing a deep breath, stepped into her apartment. JT followed her inside and stood hidden in the entrance while Cat went over to the windows and balcony door in the living room to close the curtains.

Then she switched on a light and gestured JT to stay in the living room while she quickly ran to her room, where she closed the blinds before grabbing a duffel bag and shoving underwear, socks, comfortable clothes (nothing that would put pressure on her bruises) and two pairs of trainers into it. She then moved to the bathroom and grabbed the most essential toiletries from there.

As Catherine was about to leave the room, she realized that she had not made the bed the morning before. She didn't want Heather to realize that two people had slept in the bed so she dropped the bag on the floor and started to quickly rearrange the sheets. As she did so, she caught a whiff of Vincent's smell and her heart ached at the memory of how happy they both had been less than 48 hours ago, making passionate love in this very bed as if there were no tomorrow.

JT had left the things for Heather on the kitchen counter and they quickly made their way out into the hallway again. Cat locked the door and they made their way to the elevator. While they impatiently waited for the elevator, Catherine pulled the hoodie down over her face a bit more in case they bumped into one of her neighbours on the way down. They could not see the bruises on her face. JT could see that Cat was really tense and instinctively put his arm around her. She turned towards him and looked up at him with a thankful smile.

They were still smiling at each other when JT's phone rang. Vincent's voice was strained: "Some guy just showed up and he's making his way up in the elevator now. Take the stairs up to the roof. I'll meet you there!" JT grabbed Cat and pushed her towards the door that led to the staircase. They had just made it through the door when they could hear the elevator doors open. Cat wanted to run downstairs but JT grabbed her and gestured towards the roof, mouthing "Vincent."

They ran up the three flights of stairs as fast as they could. Cat was about to open the door that led to the roof when it was opened from the outside and she found herself wrapped in Vincent's arms in less than a second.

"Who is downstairs?" whispered Catherine, while she listened to Vincent's heart hammering in his chest. "Just one guy. I think he's in the apartment now. He didn't break the lock so he must have a key. Sounds like he went through those papers on the kitchen counter." Vincent whispered back. "Hold on, he is calling someone."

JT and Cat even tried to breathe less noisily than usual while Vincent listened in on the phone conversation downstairs. Suddenly, Vincent's brow furrowed and he pushed Catherine and his friend into the darkest corner on the roof. "What's he saying, man?" whispered JT. "Hold on, he's on the stairs! Let's see if he goes down or comes up…"

Cat could see Vincent's irises starting to shimmer golden and she hugged him even more firmly, while willing herself to be as calm as possible in the hope that his body would react to hers as it usually did. They could not risk another suspicious death, and definitely not in her building.

After a few seconds, Catherine could feel Vincent's body relax in response to hers. She drew a sigh of relief and whispered: "Is he gone?" "No, not yet. Stay here," Vincent answered in a whisper and before either Cat or JT could hold him back, he was gone.

Within seconds, they heard a thump in the staircase and then Vincent appeared on the roof again, still in his human form, carrying an unconscious body over his shoulder. Cat and JT looked at one another before rushing over to him.

"Who did he call? What did he say? And what are we going to do with him now?" said JT, his voice becoming more panicked with each question. In the meantime, Vincent had put the guy down on the floor and Cat quickly checked whether she had seen him before. Vincent saw her shake her head and then answered JT:

"He called someone –I don't know who- to say Catherine had been back in the apartment today to leave the stuff on the kitchen counter. The person on the other end said that someone had turned on a light only minutes before and that Catherine could not be far. Which is why he made his way to the staircase. There, he got a call saying that the DNA samples from Catherine's bed confirmed that the a cross-species creature had slept there. That they had all they needed to frame us."

Both Catherine and JT inhaled sharply at Vincent's words.

"So whoever sent him knows for sure that we are a couple, and that they only need to hurt you to lure me out in the open," Vincent concluded, looking at Catherine with an expression she could not decipher.

"Well, there's only one solution then, isn't there?" said Catherine after swallowing a couple of times. "We find out from him who he works for and make sure that they don't get to tell that particular tale to anyone…"


	8. Chapter 8

**Initially, I meant to keep VinCat out of trouble for a few more days but then I got the idea with the guy in the elevator so no rest for our three musketeers, I'm afraid.**

Catherine and JT made their way down to the car, parked in a dark side alley, stopping by the apartment to get a couple of pillowcases and duck tape. They didn't have to wait long for Vincent who had taken the fire escape with the unconscious creep over his shoulder. JT and Vincent pulled and taped the pillowcase over the guy's head and then taped his hands and legs together before shoving him into the backseat.

In the meantime, Catherine went through the guy's pockets but couldn't find an I.D. or anything else that might lead them to his employer. She checked his phone: there were several calls from a withheld number and no numbers stored on it. She decided to turn it off so that nobody could track the signal. She saw Vincent's worried expression and quickly hugged him before getting in the passenger's seat. Nobody spoke on the drive back to the warehouse.

"Can I just say I'm glad we decided to fix it after you broke out of it," said JT as Vincent set the guy down in the cage that had held Vincent during his blackouts. JT quickly took the pillowcase off the guy's head and took a picture of him to run through facial recognition later. Suddenly the guy started stirring. They fixed the pillowcase over his head again. "I think we should leave him overnight and interrogate him tomorrow. Nothing triggers one's memory more than a long night in a dark, cold place," JT continued when neither Vincent nor Cat said anything.

Vincent shut the iron blinds that usually hid the cage from sight, sighed and took Catherine's hand. The three of them went up one level to where the living area and JT's bedroom were. Cat quickly stroked Vincent's cheek before going straight on up to his bedroom to change into her own clothes and get a few minutes to herself to arrange her ideas.

"I'm also glad that you insisted we build that cage downstairs in the old elevator shaft and not up here on my level, as I originally suggested, my friend," said JT while getting a couple of cans of beer for Cat and himself and a bottle of water for Vincent. "It would be creepy to have him on the same level… not that holding a hostage here was ever on my bucket list, you know…"

Vincent was pacing up and down, listening for signs of distress coming from upstairs and for anything suspicious in a radius of a couple of miles as well as for the guy downstairs, and distractedly grabbed the bottle out of JT's hand. "A few days of peace," he said all of a sudden, "is that too much to ask? I mean, Catherine needs time to recover and now this…" JT could see the pain and stress on his friend's face and put his hand on Vincent's shoulder.

"She's a tough cookie, you know that, right? And yes, a few days of peace would have been appreciated by all concerned. But think about it: if you hadn't overheard that guy's conversation he would be onto us now. We wouldn't have the opportunity to get more information out of him. Granted, it's not clear who is after Cat and you but at least we have a lead…" Vincent nodded and turned to face Catherine who was coming down the stairs.

Cat smiled a faint smile and said: "I've been thinking: whoever sent the guy to my apartment, it can't have been Muirfield. Because you heard them say that they could link me to the _vigilante_, right? Muirfield know your name, Vincent, so they would not call you a _vigilante_."

"Good thinking," said JT as he handed Catherine a beer. "I better run this guy through facial recognition. I've been waiting to use my new toy for a while now," he continued, patting a small black box attached to his computer. "Thanks to this device here, the IP address of my computer will change every 20 seconds which means they won't be able to trace where the request came from. Sweet, right?" JT was clearly trying very hard to lighten the mood.

Catherine couldn't help but smile at JT's enthusiasm about all things technical and at his attempt to cheer them up. She then turned to Vincent who hadn't said a word to her since they had left the rooftop. He had stopped pacing, listening to something –the guy downstairs?- with a darkening expression on his face. And he was getting more agitated by the second.

"He's awake, isn't he?" Cat asked in a whisper as she grabbed Vincent's hands causing him to start slightly. Vincent nodded his head and said: "He's coming to. Groaning and trying to get the tape off his hands." Breaking free from Catherine, he started pacing again, nervously pushing his hair back from his face now and then. Cat called to him softly several times but Vincent only stopped for the briefest of moments to touch her cheek, or place a kiss on her forehead, before resuming his frantic pacing.

Catherine turned to JT for an explanation, but he just shrugged his shoulders and mouthed: "Just let him be!"

All of a sudden, Vincent dropped the water bottle and fell to his knees, instantly bringing his hands to his ears and groaning in pain. As both Catherine and JT rushed towards him, they could hear it too: the guy downstairs had suddenly decided to shout his lungs out. Vincent must have been focussing on him and the unforeseen increase in volume clearly was hurting Vincent's sensitive hearing.

"Make him stop, make him stop," Vincent said through clenched teeth, veins showing on his neck already, as Catherine kneeled down in front of him and wrapped her arms around him trying to calm him down.

"JT –tranq the guy. NOW!" she whispered and as JT ran to find the tranquilizer gun, Catherine held Vincent tight and, speaking as softly as she could, she said: "Vincent, try and block everything out except for my heartbeat, OK?" Vincent winced at her voice and Cat had to fight back tears, knowing that the sound of her sobbing would inflict even more pain on him.

The sound of JT storming past, tranq gun in hand, pushed Vincent over the edge: Catherine could feel him transform in her arms but she knew she would not let go of him no matter what.

Vincent's groans became louder, more visceral. Catherine's arms were clasping his torso tightly but he started writhing in pain and she knew that he was desperately fighting his instincts to push her away and flee from the screams that came from downstairs and every other noise that was assaulting his aural sense.

What took JT so long to make the guy shut up?

Catherine decided she needed to do something: Vincent usually reacted to her voice when he was like this but she would not risk causing him more pain by speaking to him. So perhaps making eye contact with him would help? She removed her right arm from Vincent's torso, still stroking him with her left hand though. Once she had gently placed her right hand on his throbbing chest, she also moved her left arm and pushed herself back a little so that she could look into his face. As she did so, she could not help but gasp.

Vincent was in a lot of pain. His face was distorted even more than usual, a lot more than usual, and tears were starting to appear in his transformed eyes. Eyes that were full of pain, distress and torment and at the same time pleading with her. Pleading to move away so that he would not hurt her. Vincent still had his hands clasped over his ears but by now his fingertips had transformed into claws and he was digging them into his own head in an effort to keep still, in an effort not to hurt the woman he loved.

Suddenly, Vincent's head spun to the right and seconds later, Cat heard a thump downstairs. JT had finally managed to knock the guy out. Catherine grabbed Vincent's T-shirt, causing him to look at her again. "Better?" she mouthed although she could see that he was still very much in pain. Vincent shook his head and grabbed it even more tightly.

JT was coming up the stairs – and his footsteps clearly were too noisy for Vincent! He groaned and writhed. "Tranq'ing two guys in two days, that must be a record," JT muttered as he took the last few steps. Cat did not turn to look at JT, afraid that if she broke eye contact with Vincent he might lose it completely, but held out her left arm in JT's direction to gesture for him to stop. He must have frozen on the spot as she could not hear his steps any longer. She started waving her hand to indicate he should move away quickly. She could hear how JT turned and tried to walk down the stairs making as little noise as possible. But if she could hear him, she could only imagine how painful it was for Vincent who was still clutching his head.

Rivulets of blood were slowly making their way down Vincent's cheeks. Without thinking, Catherine brought her hands up to his face and, never breaking eye contact, mouthed the words "I love you." Very slowly, she put her hands over Vincent's and as his hands instinctively responded to her touch, he relaxed the grip on his head long enough for Cat to be able to slide her thumbs into his palms.

Catherine started to caress Vincent's hands, slowly drawing small circles with her thumbs on his palms and using the other four fingers on the back of his hands. Vincent's facial expression was still one of utter pain but his hands were no longer tense. Catherine slowly brought Vincent's left hand down onto her ribcage for him to feel her heart. Perhaps that would help him to single out her heartbeat from the cacophony that seemed to be assaulting his hearing at the moment. Cat willed herself to steady her breathing and her heart rate. Slowly, Vincent's breathing seemed to become less laboured and his groans were turning into occasional whimpers.

Growing increasingly desperate and wondering how long Vincent could stand this torture, Catherine brought his right hand to her lips and slowly started kissing it. First, her lips brushed the back of his hand and then she moved on to kiss each finger individually. Finally, she turned his hand and, stroking his palm, brought it up to her face and leaned into it. Cat could feel the claws brushing against her skull but decided to lean into Vincent's palm even more. She needed to help him get back to himself. Gazing deeply into his tortured eyes, she mouthed 'I love you' again.

And out of the blue, while still in beast form, Vincent's arms went limp and he let his head fall onto Catherine's shoulder, emitting strangled sounds somewhere between a groan and sob. Cat struggled to keep upright with Vincent's sudden dead weight on her bruised body but her love and the need to help him prevailed over the soreness. Cat went back up into a kneeling position and moved her arms around Vincent, holding him tighter than she ever had before.

She could feel him transform back into his human form and badly wanted to whisper to him but she was not sure whether that would be a good idea, whether that would still hurt him. So she decided to wait for him to speak first. Vincent stayed immobile in her arms for a few minutes before gently pushing himself away from her and raising his head. He whispered her name once, twice, and a third time. Catherine could not help but sob at the sound of his voice. She quickly brought a hand to her mouth, stifling the sound in case his hearing was still in overdrive.

"It's OK. I'm back to normal now, Catherine," Vincent whispered. Catherine let out the sob she had tried to stifle and grabbed Vincent's T-shirt while leaning into his chest, unable to voice her relief. When she looked up into his face, she noticed the blood. In a second she was on her feet and quickly made her way over to the staircase.

"JT," she called, not too loudly in case Vincent was actually just pretending to be better than he really was. She then moved to the cabinet and got some disinfectant. Less than twenty-four hours ago, Vincent had treated her with disinfectant and stitched her up. And now it was her turn to clean the wounds he had inflicted on himself during the auditory overdrive episode. Catherine drew a deep breath, not wanting Vincent to worry about her.

When she turned, Vincent was getting to his feet with JT's help. He was clearly still shaken by what had happened to him and could only make it to the chair with his friend's help. JT sat down on the chair next to Vincent and shook his head in disbelief.

Catherine quickly poured some disinfectant on a sterile pad and started cleaning the blood on Vincent's face and the wounds on his head: they were really deep, it looked like he had been about to dig his claws into and through his skull. "JT, can you have a look please? I think he might need stitches – can you stitch him up?" Catherine said, her voice quite shaky. JT gave her a horrified look but got up to have a look at Vincent's head.

"Don't worry, Catherine, I'm a fast healer. Comes with the package, you know?" said Vincent, grabbing her hand and forcing her to look him in the eyes. Cat swallowed hard as she saw the love in his gaze. She knew she could get lost in his eyes but there were so many problems that needed addressing that she had to tear herself away from his gaze. She was grateful to JT for speaking up and asking the question she wanted to ask Vincent, as well.

"Dude, what happened? I mean, it looked like your hearing went into overdrive – for want of a better term…"

Vincent pulled Catherine down onto his lap and turned to face JT, a grave expression on his face. He started haltingly:

"Yes, I guess that's what happened… The whole world was in my ears, in my head…Traffic I can't usually hear from blocks away, the guy screaming downstairs… the breathing of four people in this warehouse, including my own… your footsteps, my own inner organs: it was all amplified and so painfully loud. Kinda made me wish for a blackout there. I think I would have gone mad, ripped my own head off if it hadn't been for Catherine. Everything was spinning…" Vincent turned to face Catherine, with awe in his voice and his gaze: "But you were there for me to hold on to… I… Thank you!"

Catherine looked at Vincent and whispered: "I'm sorry… we should have knocked you out, not him!"

"Yeah, let's make that a daily occurrence," said JT sarcastically. Catherine shot him a look. "OK, sorry, you're right but we didn't really know what was happening, did we? I will get more tranquilizer tomorrow though. As we're going through it like nothing… The next time we knock you flat out, though, man. Promise! And now, if you please, follow me over to my monitors so I can hook you up and see if I can find anything wrong with you."

Vincent sighed, let Cat go and from the way he got up, she could see how the episode had drained him. She walked Vincent over to JT's 'medical corner' and stroked his hair until JT started attaching all sorts of wires to him. JT saw how Catherine's expression went from neutral to worried as soon as she stepped behind Vincent, outside his field of vision.

"Hey, Cat," JT said, trying to make his voice sound nonchalant. "How about that eggplant gratin for dinner after all? I think after everything we could all do with a proper meal. And you can't be of much help here."

Catherine nodded, glad to have something to occupy her hands for a little while. "I'll be back as soon as the gratin is in the oven," she whispered to Vincent, breathing a light kiss into his hair.


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry, this took a lot longer than anticipated. Real life gets in the way sometimes. **

"Growing pains of some sort?" Catherine asked JT as she tucked into her dinner. Despite everything that had her worried, she felt really hungry.

"Could be. Who knows? Tests all came back normal. But that doesn't mean anything. Unfortunately, our big guy doesn't come with a manual," JT answered while chewing and then added: "This is really good, Catherine!"

"Growing pains of the most annoying sort," said Vincent who had not touched his food yet. "If they are growing pains."

Cat and JT both looked at him, the same quizzical look on their faces. "What do you mean, Vincent?" asked Catherine, placing her hand on his.

"Well, they might be growing pains but I was thinking: ever since I woke up last night after JT zapped me I have been constantly straining my hearing. Listening out for you guys to come back, checking whether someone was approaching the warehouse, worrying about you being asleep upstairs, listening out for suspicious sounds around your apartment. I mean: I've never done that for hours on end so perhaps my hearing went into overdrive because I overdid it. I don't know… All I know is that it is happening at the worst possible moment…" Vincent's voice trailed off. Catherine tried to catch his eye, to no avail.

"We'll find out soon enough, dude," said JT, "I mean, your eyes were playing up before you got night vision so perhaps this is just a sign that your hearing is going to get better, too. Or perhaps it was stress-related because of everything that went down these last 24 hours. All I know is that if you don't eat that, I'm gonna have your portion, too…"

"Hands off," said Vincent as he grabbed a fork and finally gave Catherine a smile before starting on his dinner.

()

After having done the dishes, JT returned to his computer and to running the guy's picture through facial recognition. Catherine and Vincent were sitting on the sofa, waiting for JT to come up with a name and a lead as to who might have sent the guy in the cage downstairs. Catherine sat up to inspect the wounds on Vincent's head and he had not been exaggerating: they were actually already healing. "Told you so," said Vincent, the faintest sign of a smile on his lips, before he gently drew her into an embrace. "So, wanna tell me what scenario 6 would entail?"

"I thought you'd never ask," said Cat, sitting up to face him. "So JT and I came up with six different scenarios so far." "Without involving me, of course," said Vincent. He tried to shoot JT a look but after all these years his friend knew how to hide behind a computer. Catherine just smiled and continued:

"The first five scenarios involve all of us staying in New York. Just different strategies that we could adopt if people got too close to you or even more suspicious of me. So if we could be reasonably sure that they do not know about JT's involvement and your location, we would go for scenario 1. You could both stay in the warehouse but I really hate the whole idea of scenario 1 because it would mean me breaking off all contact with you and JT for as long as it takes to sidetrack Muirfield, Joe, Gabriel or whoever else might be onto you."

"Yeah, not a big fan of that scenario either," JT piped up from behind his computer. "I don't know how many times a day I'd have to tranq Vincent to keep him away from you. Don't think I could trust him to stay put which would probably mean having to give up my job to babysit him… But then considering what a few of the other scenarios entail, this would be a piece of cake…"

Catherine chuckled at Vincent's dismayed face. "Anyway," she continued. "Scenario 2 involves moving you to a different location, an underground, disused subway tunnel which we could access from the basement of the university building where JT's office is located. In case it becomes unsafe for you to stay here. We've been furnishing the place and stocking up on stuff. JT diverted some electricity and stuff from the university, too, so it is more comfortable than it sounds. JT and I would probably have to go on with our lives to diffuse any suspicions. But we would find a way to come and see you on a regular basis. JT could see you every day and I have even enrolled in an evening Chemistry class at the university that meets twice a week so as to have an official reason to be in that particular building."

"Wow," was all Vincent could say, shaking his head. "Hold on. You've been furnishing an underground place for me? With what money?" he said, turning to JT.

"Not mine, man."

Vincent's head spun around. Cat was smiling a bashful smile. "Catherine?" Vincent said in a probing tone.

"Well, you see, the thing is, I was waiting around to find the right opportunity to invest some of the money I inherited from my granny who died five years ago – and this is definitely a good investment," Cat said and quickly kissed Vincent on the mouth before he could argue with her. Then she went on.

"Well, you know about scenario 3. Catherine's burnout story in case I'd somehow sustain injuries that I couldn't explain to my co-workers, friends and family. Or in case you got sick or something and I didn't want to leave your side…" Vincent shook his head and whispered: "So you anticipated last night?"

"Well, not exactly as it happened. But we all know there always was a real possibility that Muirfield and the others might actually use force to get information out of me. So we thought it only prudent to plan for that, too…" Vincent cupped Cat's face and was about to say something when he got interrupted…

"Gotcha!" JT yelled excitedly at his computer. Catherine and Vincent quickly made their way over to him.

"Henry Rodman, arrested and convicted twice in the last two years for theft. Released on good behaviour five weeks ago. No address. But we have a contact for his parole officer. Someone to check out and contact tomorrow?" JT said as he suddenly felt quite tired and also got the impression that Vincent and Catherine could do with some alone time. "I think we've all had enough excitement for one day. The guy downstairs should sleep well into the morning – I hit him with a dose intended for our super-strength super-soldier here so I guess he won't be screaming any time soon. I'm off to bed."

As Catherine and Vincent were half way up the stairs, JT called after them: "Hey, Cat, you better bring this – in case Vincent's hearing goes into overdrive again during the night." He was holding out a loaded tranq gun. Cat sighed and walked back down to get the gun.

"Alright, JT. Thanks. See you in the morning. Sleep well," she said, quickly squeezing his arm.

()

"Do I need to worry about the two of you getting too close?" said Vincent with an elusive smile as Catherine dropped the tranq gun on the side stand and sat down on the bed, gesturing him to sit down next to her. "I mean, meeting behind my back to think up secret plans over bottles of wine, all the hugging and bonding that's been going on these last few weeks…" Cat wasn't sure if he was serious or joking. His voice was neutral. He was not looking at her directly so she couldn't read his expression. So she decided to go for an honest answer.

"Yeah, I have to say I like and appreciate JT more every day. I always knew that he was a loyal friend to you, the most loyal friend anyone could wish for, and now I think me and him have become friends, too. It's just good to know that he is there for you when so often I can't be – and I think he knows now that I too will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. So, yes, we have gotten a lot closer ever since I got shot, but no: you don't need to worry." Cat smiled. "As you said earlier on, I'm your woman. All yours…"

Her last few words took Vincent by surprise and he searchingly looked into her face. Was she serious or was she mocking his possessive behaviour from earlier? He felt he had to justify himself and as he did so, he became more and more flustered.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I don't know why I said that. I mean, I am overprotective of you and I can't deny there's a part of me that likes to think of you as mine. But I don't mean to treat you like an object, like my possession… It's just that… It's not like I can go out in public and officially be the man at your side. I guess it just feels like nobody except JT know that we're together and I really want the whole world to know how much you mean to me… except, of course, I can't do that… So it's nice to think or say it once in a while… that we are actually together, that you are mine…"

Why was Catherine shaking her head at him?

"You know, if anyone else called me his woman I'd probably punch them in the face. But it's different with you: I didn't mind at all earlier when you said it, and I actually really like the fact that you think of me that way. Makes me feel wanted and appreciated."

Vincent smiled at Catherine and finally held her gaze, his loving expression mirroring hers.

"Does that mean I can call you my man?" Catherine whispered as she leaned in to give him a soft and lingering kiss.

"Yes, you may call me that," said Vincent in a low whisper before kissing her again. Then he pulled away, as a thought crossed his mind.

"When is the last time you took painkillers?"

"This morning, but I'm fine, Vincent. Really, a bit sore but fine. Could do with some of that super fast healing of yours though…" Cat replied, quickly checking his wounds and drawing a sigh of relief when she saw that they were nearly healed already.

"Can't wait to get out of here, then?" Vincent said jokingly, gently pulling her towards him.

"Yeah, the hospitality leaves a lot to be desired. I mean I had to cook dinner tonight, and people stick paper bags in my face for no apparent reason" said Cat with a broad smile on her face and stroking Vincent's hair. Then she grew serious.

"No, actually I'm just dreading what Joe and Gabriel are up to. Not being in the loop is strange. So a part of me wishes I was healed and could be out there protecting you." Cat saw that Vincent too had grown serious. "Sorry, I didn't mean to kill the mood," she added in a pleading tone.

"No, I understand. I just wish that yesterday's attack had never happened to you and that you'd be unharmed," Vincent replied and drew her into a close embrace.

"So do you want to hear about the other scenarios?" Cat asked after they had sat in a tight embrace for a few minutes.

"Sure! I might as well know what you guys have in store for me…"

"So scenario 4 is a really muddled one that we are still working on, one that involves a lot of 'ifs' and 'hows'. And it turns out it might be the one we need first…" Cat sighed before quickly resuming her explanation. "Basically we were trying to come up with a plan if your condition deteriorated and/or you got further blackouts or growing pains. It's not so much one scenario as a whole series of things that could go wrong and this is the one JT really hated, because it might actually involve telling Sarah about you in case we, I mean, he needs extra help with DNA-related stuff… I mean, a lot of ifs and hows: could you stay here, could you be underground, would it be safer to take you out of the city…"

"Tricky one," said Vincent, "let's hope we never have to consider that one. I really think tonight was just stress-related." He didn't sound all that convinced but Cat appreciated the effort he made to make her worry less.

"And scenario 5?" Vincent asked.

"Another horrible one," said Cat, swallowing hard. Vincent could hear her heart speed up. "Actually two different scenarios: how to proceed if JT gets caught or killed. How will I keep you safe? And how will he keep you from getting caught or killed while looking for me or while out looking for revenge in case I die?"

Vincent had looked up in horror as soon as she had mentioned JT being kidnapped or killed. When she got to the second part of scenario 5, he exclaimed "Catherine!" and then dropped his head between his hands. Cat got to her feet and -standing right in front of him- put her hand under his chin and waited patiently for him to compose himself enough to look at her.

"Vincent, baby, you must sometimes think about the possibility of something happening to JT or me…"

"I do, of course I do, but I don't _plan_ for it!" said Vincent vehemently.

"Well, it turns out we ran into problems too when we tried to plan this particular scenario. There's just some things too horrible to contemplate, even as a hypothesis."

Vincent nodded and waited for Cat to continue.

"Also, you will have noticed that the scenarios are kind of random: they're in no particular order. It's just that we were sitting in JT's office a few weeks back and we wrote down a list of possible events in whatever order they came to our minds. JT wanted to rearrange the scenarios in order of horror but I refused. You're right, it's macabre."

"We've planned some of them, the easier ones, in more detail and we have been struggling with the really horrible ones a lot. I mean I cannot really imagine scenario 1 because I can't imagine what I'd do, how much I'd worry, if I couldn't see you on a regular basis. Even with you being in the same city! Still I know I would do it if I had to. The thought of your condition worsening or, God forbid, of losing JT or me is hard to bear but we have to have a few things in place should any of that horrible stuff really happen. And we would get through it somehow. And if it was me then you and JT would, too…"

Vincent shook his head, tears in his eyes. Cat felt close to tears too. She took Vincent's head between her hands and slowly started kissing him: his hair, his forehead, his eyebrows, his scar, his nose, his right cheek and then his mouth.

"Well, let's make sure then that we stay clear from the really horrible scenarios, shall we? Which brings me to scenario 6…"

"I'm not sure I want to hear about it," mumbled Vincent, only slowly regaining his composure.

"Hey, I told you: scenario 6 is my favourite… Perhaps we should get ready for bed and I'll tell you all about it in bed. Nothing nasty, I promise," Catherine said, smiling a reassuring smile at Vincent.

She quickly made her way to the bathroom. When Vincent got up to get a fresh T-shirt, he saw that Catherine had shoved some of his clothes to the side and had piled the stuff from her bag in his drawer. He opened the drawer beneath and there were more of her things. He couldn't help but smile at her having made herself at home a little.

**So, what is scenario 6? **


	10. Chapter 10

**So, I'm back! We're finally going to learn what scenario 6 entails. Also, as I progress, I'm gonna try and integrate information from the show as it becomes available in order not to go off canon too much. Might be difficult with Vincent moving to the tunnels soon in the show and still living in the warehouse in my story but let's see what I can come up with : ) **

Catherine got under the covers quickly and waited for Vincent to finish in the bathroom. She had only had a few minutes to herself since JT had picked her up after the attack, which was probably a good thing. As soon as she was by herself, her thoughts inevitably went back to what had happened in the alley. Cat swallowed hard and shook her head, deciding to worry about Vincent and the guy downstairs, instead. Was Vincent really feeling better? And then there was Henry Rodman. A petty criminal. Who would send a petty criminal after her? And how did a petty criminal know about the vigilante?

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear Vincent come out of the bathroom. When she suddenly became aware of him standing over her, she jumped involuntarily. Vincent took a step back, a worried expression on his face.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "You startled me…" She smiled at him. "Which is silly, I mean who else would be in here, right?"

Vincent apologized for sneaking up on her and then got into bed. Cat snuggled into his warm chest and, drawing circles on his bare skin, started telling him about scenario 6.

"So, while it's not perfect, scenario 6 is pretty straightforward in comparison to some of the others. Put in very simple terms, scenario 6 entails me and you starting a new life somewhere else. Far away from Muirfield and the task force." She paused as Vincent drew a sharp breath and readjusted himself on the bed in order to be able to look her in the eyes.

"I have a friend from police academy who works for the FBI eyewitness protection programme. And he owes me his life. Literally. I've already been in touch with him and he can provide us with completely new identities over night – in case it becomes impossible to stay in New York. I mean he can do stuff for us that even JT couldn't…"

"What about your family?" Vincent's question was a mere whisper.

"Yeah, that part I don't like. But if Muirfield get too close, Heather and Dad will be in danger if I stick around. And I could tell them that I need to disappear because I'm a key witness in some high profile case – so at least they'd know that I'm alive and doing fine even if I can't contact them. That should keep them happy for a few months, perhaps even a year. And then they will just get used to not having me around…"

Vincent gently lifted Catherine off his chest and was up and pacing around in no time. "And how is this your favourite scenario?" he asked, his eyes wide and filled with worry.

"Because, unlike every other scenario that involves me staying away from you completely or seeing you sporadically, this is the only one where we actually get to be together. Live together, you know? Not a few stolen hours here and there hidden away in a dusty warehouse or a dingy subway tunnel. Not that I'm complaining. I take what I can get, and I am grateful for every single minute we get to spend together. But I still would like a life where I don't need to get raped and beaten up in order to spend a few days with the man I love. And, most importantly, it means a different life for you, a life you actually deserve…"

While speaking, Cat had gotten up from the bed, too, and taken Vincent's hands. He let his head hang low as he whispered: "I could never let you do something like that for me. Give up your life, your job, your family for me…"

"Vincent, in an ideal world, I wouldn't have to choose between my life out there and my life with you. But if this situation reaches breaking point, I will choose you. Without the shadow of a doubt. Because, honestly, I don't know what sort of life I'd have without you in it."

Cat knew the defeated look Vincent gave her far too well. It was the look he had given her several times before, every time he had decided for himself that he should walk away from her, that he didn't want to break her heart, that he was bad for her. They had spoken about her worst fear, that he would disappear without a word, and while he had reassured her not very long ago that he could never walk away from her, Catherine could see in his eyes that a part of his brain was going into flight mode as he stood there listening to her.

"Don't you think I know you'd be long gone from New York City if it hadn't been for me, for the fact that you want to be close to me? And that you don't allow yourself to show how much you'd like us to spend more time together because you want me to have both, my life with my family and friends, and my life with you?"

Vincent let Catherine guide him to the bed where he sat down and sighed. Catherine lifted his chin up so that he had to look at her and continued:

"Vincent, if we can keep you safe here, then we can go on as before. Meaning I get to keep in touch with my family. But you have to admit that some of the other possible scenarios are pretty gruesome. And while I shudder at the thought of never seeing my sister and dad again, the alternative –a life without you- is even worse. So, yes, scenario 6 is my favourite because my family gets to live, JT gets to live his life –you know, staying in the city, doing his job, taking things further with Sarah— and you and I also get to live a life together where you don't have to hide out all the time. I know it would involve a few sacrifices on my part, but you are worth it. You're worth it, do you hear me?"

Vincent's eyes were watery and he swallowed hard. "It sounds like a fantasy life, you know, like the one I pursued with Alex…" He tensed up as the words slipped out but now he couldn't take them back. He studied Cat's face to gauge her reaction.

Catherine smiled and said, a warm tone in her voice: "You know when you asked me whether I'd be willing to give up my life to go with you? I never gave you an answer, I just told you that you needed to tell Alex the whole truth before she could really decide. But even back then, deep down inside, I knew that the answer to your question was yes. I wasn't ready to admit it even to myself then but yes, Vincent, yes: I am more than willing to give up my life here for you, OK?"

Catherine could see the hint of a smile forming on his lips as he looked at her gratefully and lovingly.

"And, just for your information, this 'fantasy' can quickly become reality if need be, OK? With proper IDs, and social security numbers, and jobs and decisions regarding the colour we want to paint the walls in our house… Unless you're too chicken to actually run away with me," Cat dared to joke as Vincent's facial expression had suddenly relaxed.

"Me? Chicken? Never!" grinned Vincent, allowing himself for a minute to actually contemplate the possibility of such a life with Catherine, something he had caught himself secretly dreaming about.

Catherine chuckled at his words and at the dreamy expression on his face. Sitting down next to him, she said: "You know, Vincent, there's something seriously wrong with me: I mean, I was attacked last night, we have a mystery man locked in a cage downstairs, you were in horrible pain less than four hours ago… everyone in my life is growing more suspicious of me, they're hunting you… and still I am so happy, so grateful to be here with you right now!"

Vincent had grown serious again and, gently pulling her into his arms, whispered: "I know exactly what you mean, sweetie!"

Catherine chuckled into his chest: "That's the first time you've called me that!"

"Yeah, you may have to get used to it," said Vincent and, realizing that Catherine had started to shiver from tiredness, suggested they get back under the covers. They lay there, facing each other, and Vincent gently stroked Cat's hair. He could see how tired she was and whispered to her: "Just go to sleep, Catherine, sweetie…" grinning as he said the last word and causing her to smile, too. She drifted off to sleep soon after, feeling completely safe there with him, despite all the unknowns that had popped up in their lives the previous weeks.

()

When Catherine woke up, the sun was shining brightly. Her hands instinctively looked for Vincent but he was not in the bed. She sat up, yawned and stretched. If he was downstairs, he'd have heard her already and would be up shortly to wish her good morning. She lay back again and started inspecting her bruises. They still looked horrible but then it had only been about 36 hours – she knew that they couldn't have changed colour by now but she was impatient to get back to work in order to be able to keep Vincent safe.

When Vincent did not show up for a couple of minutes, Catherine decided to go downstairs to see what he was up to. Neither JT nor Vincent were to be seen. They had, however, set the breakfast table for her and, as she approached the table, Cat could also see a piece of paper with Vincent's handwriting on it.

_We took Rodman next door for some 'questioning.' Please stay here, have breakfast and relax._

Yeah, right! Did Vincent know her at all? Just then, her stomach growled. So she would have breakfast first and then join the two troopers "next door." Wherever that was. There were several more abandoned warehouses in the area so finding them might take a while.

About fifteen minutes later, Cat was about to leave the warehouse when she could hear Vincent and JT come back. Vincent came in through the door with a smile on his face. "Good morning," he said as he pulled Catherine into an embrace, and she could not help but smile back at him.

"Look who's up," said JT as he came in a few seconds later.

"Morning," said Cat. "So what does Rodman say?"

"Not much. He's still groggy from the tranquilizer. We decided to move him to another warehouse because he's an extremely loud house guest," said JT as he let himself fall onto the couch.

"Even Vincent growling at him didn't really wake him from his stupor. He thought he was dreaming about dogs or wolves or something. Not that we could make out a lot. We'll have to try again later. He needs to sleep it off some more. "

"Did he see either of you?" Cat asked.

"Nope. Pillowcase still over that ugly head of his," JT answered as he realized Vincent was too busy holding Catherine in his arms.

"And the parole officer?"

"I tried his office a few times this morning but he's not in. Yet another thing to try again later."

"So what do we do now?" Both Vincent and JT chuckled at the frustrated tone in Cat's voice.

"Now, Miss Workaholic, we show you how to relax while wasting hours on our X-Box," said JT. "Popcorn, anyone?"

Catherine took the opportunity of JT getting popcorn to lean into Vincent for a kiss.

"So looks like I'm going to get you to teach me some of these video games, after all," she said as she pulled away and made her way to the sofa.

"Or not," growled Vincent.

When Catherine turned around, she could see him gripping his head, his irises already shining golden. Her heart sank: another episode!

She quickly made her way to the table where she had left the tranq gun, and before the pain could cause Vincent to turn completely, Cat had shot him in the right upper thigh.

JT heard a loud thump and came running, still two bags of popcorn in his hands. "Oh boy," he exclaimed, when he saw what had happened. "Oh boy!"


End file.
